I recently had a birthday which means I survived another year (glass half full), but am a year closer to my inevitable demise (half empty) via heart attack, zombie apocalypse, or yachting accident. I keep holding out hope for vampirism, but as I have yet to meet any vampires, I am starting to think that might not be a viable life plan. So, as this is the start of my new year of life, I’ve come up with things I’m looking forward to in the upcoming months. Hopefully these beacons of light will sustain me for another year. 

In Order of Occurrence:

1. Hunger Games movie. Only a few more days until this one. I know it’s probably not going to be as good as everyone hopes, but the last few Harry Potter movies were pretty good, so you never know. 

2. Avengers Movie. The trailer looks pretty cool guys. Joss Whedon directed it, Robert Downey Jr. Is in it, a lot of handsome people are also in it, and I anticipate some good explosions! 

3. New Jane True Book. My sister and I recently got hooked on this series and the next one is coming out this summer. If you like the True Blood books, these are better (my highly qualified opinion) for a supernatural slanted series. The main character is really likable and kicks major ass! Yay!

4. The Olympics. I’m not super in to sports in general, but for some reason I love the Olympics. Maybe I would like football if it only came around every four years, who knows.  

5. Zombie Apocalypse. Let’s be real. I probably won’t survive any fight-for-your life scenario. I am small and have no survival skills to speak of. However, this is a good End Of Days because when I die, I get to come back alive as a zombie. I might even get to do some synchronized line dancing ala Thriller. So, that’s pretty fun. 

6. Christmas

This year was an epic movie-going failure. Out of all the Oscar nominees, I saw exactly zero. Since I only saw a little over 20 movies in total, that’s not a huge surprise. Because of that, I cannot really comment on whether there were awards injustices or not. I can say that Super 8 and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo seem like they’d be better than The Help, but maybe not. The Help could have been the best movie ever for all I know. You might say the MAFMSAS have even less merit than usual because the field of competition is so small, but I say it is a strongly curated, very select group of nominees.

Best Drama: Super 8 
It had me tearing up at the end so it wins. Father son moment!

Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
he fact that people wanted it to be nominated for an Oscar is kind of silly, but it was hilarious. The scene on the plane is the best ever. Maybe as good as “face back”. (Old blog callback! That’s for you, one reader!)

The Non-comedic scene that I laughed at the most: Breaking Dawn Pt 1: Giant CGI wolves having telepathic conversations.
Oh Twilight movies, you are the gift that keeps on giving. This is coming from someone who actually likes the Twilight books, too.

Movie I was most excited about that was disappointing: Jane Eyre
I had some reservations when the trailer was making the movie seem like a paranormal thriller of some kind, but Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books and it has Michael Fassbender in it. What could go wrong? It was boring, that’s what.
Runner Up: Cowboys and Aliens.
The inclusion of Olivia Wilde should’ve clued me to the fact that it was going to suck, but I still held out hope. Nope, also pretty boring. [Note: It’s not so much that I don’t like Olivia Wilde as an actress, more she’s a harbinger of mediocrity. I love Donal Logue, but that doesn’t stop him from being a showkiller. (Another callback! Boy do I spoil you, one reader who has no idea what I’m referring to). Sometimes you have to accept your lot in life.]

Movie I Thought Was going to Suck but Was Pretty Enjoyable: Limitless
This movie actually got pretty good reviews, but I still did not want to watch it. I was forced to watch it with my family and it was actually a lot of fun. It didn’t make complete sense, but a lot of fun.

Best case for a Ryan Gosling/ Emma Stone Romantic comedy: Crazy, Stupid, Love
Movie Gods, Make. This. Happen!

Best Super Hero Movie: Thor
Finally, a category I’m qualified to judge, and I pick a controversial choice. X-Men: First Class was a better quality movie. Captain America had a arguably, more compelling story line. I don’t care! You have your own movie awards, imaginary person arguing with me. I liked Thor. Even though it had Anthony Hopkins.

Everyone will be excited to know the third annual MAMFSAS are written but, Before that: Blog book keeping. First, I have come to the realization that tumblr is not really a blogging site, but too late now. I should just print out copies and hand them to my mom and sister as to directly reach my audience. Second, I think entries may have gotten a little out of order, but I don’t know how to fix it so deal with it. Third, only a 4 month delay between posts? Wow, I’m good. I could say it’s quality over quantity, but we all know there’s neither going on over here. All book keeping finished so Onward!

For Valentines Day, I have found one of the most romantic lines ever uttered on television. Feel free to use this gem on a loved one this year’s greeting card holiday.

“I have always considered you a close friend. Although I’ve never seriously considered a romantic relationship, I would not be opposed to the possibility.”
                                      — Worf, Star Trek: The Next Generation

As the end of education and the beginning of the real world creeps up on me, I have to confront my future of working for the next 37-50+ years. Since I’ve just spent over 6 years working on a pharmacy degree, I’ve decided that I’ll probably be a pharmacist for my career. Or a shell necklace saleswoman in Mexico, escaping my horrifying debt. I haven’t decided yet (and my back up of winning the Powerball just isn’t panning out). Even though I picked a career, throughout the years, I’ve thought about 5 dream careers that for whatever reason would not work out.

Top 5 Jobs I’d Do If I Could (In no order)

1. Ice Cream Truck Driver
Why It’d be Awesome: First, obviously the fact I’d be driving around in a truck full of ice cream. Pretty sweet. (Bad pun intended!) Also, you can be your own boss which means Christmases off. If I was an ice cream truck driver, I’d basically be bringing happiness and joy into people’s lives, and what would be more fulfilling than that? (Nothing would be more filling he he…)
Why it won’t work: I’m thinking the work schedule would not be so fun. You can’t really take a lot of time off because every day not working is losing money. And, even though you don’t have to work until the afternoon, I’d definitely have to work weekends. Not cool. (Another pun!) Most important drawback: customer service = HORROR!!

2. Home Organizer
Why It’d be Awesome: I love organizing things! On my very own free time I’ve organized my sister’s room and closet multiple times, drawn maps of my room with shelves/drawers labeled with possible contents, and arranged my parents’ TV cabinet, computer desk, and pantry. So how fun would it be to get paid to organize people’s houses? Super fun!
Why it won’t work: I really don’t think this is a viable money maker. Only rich, lazy people would pay for that. Or maybe hoarders.

3. Deep Sea Explorer
Why It’d be Awesome: Most of the land has already been explored, but not the ocean! It’s common knowledge that there’s most likely an underwater civilization in the Mariana Trench, right? Well, there probably is. Anyway, it would be cool to discover new fish and unknown sea phenomena. Also, I don’t get claustrophobic so I could ride in those deep sea submarines, no problemo.
Why it won’t work: I have no interest in marine biology or geology, which are probably the two fields of study required for deep sea exploration. Also, I’m scared of touching fish.

4. Theoretical Physicist
Why It’d be Awesome: Because it’s exploring the mysteries of the universe! I’m already overly concerned with time travel, so that aligns with my interests. Also, from what I gather, any wackadoo theory is considered as long as you can do some math that pseudo supports it (burn on string theory!), so it could really get the creative juices flowing.
Why it won’t work: Um…yeah…I’m not that smart. I barely passed Calculus I and that’s supposedly the easy calculus.

5. Pixar Animatory
Why It’d be Awesome: I love animation so much! Pixar seems to be the most fun place to work every, from behind the scenes footage. I love to draw. I love cartoons. Best. Job. Ever!!
Why it won’t work: I can’t actually draw very well. Also, being an actual animator is probably tedious and you don’t make a lot of money to do it. Yeah, basically, I just want to live at Pixar and watch cartoons all day long.

*A lot of little girls want to be ballerinas when they grow up, but they should consider being stripper’s instead. You still get to dance, but you can make pretty good money, your feet aren’t going to get all jacked up, and you don’t have to be borderline (?) anorexic. Get comfortable with being objectified young ladies, and the future is yours!

Okay, so I fail at writing consistent updates. It’s a character flaw. But, as promised, the second annual MAFMSAS (Margo Awards for Movies She Actually Saw)!! On the bright side, it’s only been like 4 months since the Oscars, so it was like it was yesterday. Right?? Okay, not so much. I only saw half of the Oscar nominees this year (Inception, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and The King’s Speech), but I was okay with The King’s Speech winning. Out of all the nominees, the only movies I’d be happy to watch again are Inception, Toy Story 3, and The King’s Speech. The Social Network was the most entertaining Facebook movie that ever was, but c’mon. C’mon.  So, without further ado, here are my winners!!

 Best Movie (Drama): Tie: Inception and How to Train Your Dragon
AWESOME!! HtTYD was one of the best uses of 3-D I’ve ever seen. The scene where Hiccup’s dad is looking for them and it’s snowing/ash is falling is really beautiful.  

Best Movie (Comedy): The Other Guys
Face back. I’m not lying when I say that made me dissolve into hysterical, silent laughter. Don’t ask me. The other day the word “slivers” had the same effect. Not going to lie, I laughed to myself when I just typed the word “slivers.” So, moral: maybe don’t necessarily take my word for it when it comes to comedies.

 Only Documentary I Saw: Exit Through the Gift Shop
My sister just sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal. If you think that those artists are in a murky gray area (I have many thoughts on the matter. but I won’t subject you to them), check out the gallery opening of the “artist” who’s followed in the movie. It is crazy. 

 Best Soundtrack: Tron: Legacy
They should have cut out all the dialogue and made it a long Daft Punk music video! The plot would probably have made more sense.

 Worst Movie: Legion
Seriously, I wanted my money back. Why Paul Bettany? Why?? And Dennis Quaid? You are a semi respected actor, aren’t you?

 Most Surprisingly entertaining movie: tie: The Karate Kid and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Both pretty fun.

 Best Harry Potter Movie so far: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
I can’t wait for the next one, which is sure to have more wizard battles! Yay!

 All right, that’s all I’ve got. You can leave your winners/losers in the comments if so you wish.

I know I haven’t posted the second annual MAFMSAS yet because I’ve been busy with a lot of stressful school related stuff, but I’ll eventually get to it. Maybe not before next year, but I’ll get to it. In that vein, this topic doesn’t exactly have its finger on the pulse of current pop culture. On the other hand, it does follow one of the ongoing themes of my blog: my ongoing obsession with Bruce Boxleitner.

So a few months back, I was super excited to see the new Tron movie. For one reason, it looked pretty cool in the trailers. Also, it was in 3D. Also, Bruce Boxleitner was in the trailer which led me to believe he would be in it for at least 30 seconds (he was!). Those reasons are really all I need to enjoy a movie. Long story short (read: short and boring story short), I did see it, and it was okay.

It wasn’t a horrible movie at all. It did look cool, had an awesome soundtrack, I love Jeff Bridges, and Bruce Boxleitner was in it for at least five minutes (more than I hoped). Unfortunately, the story line was a bit of a snoozer. I should have expected it because the first one had a lot of sitting around and philosophizing or whatever. The most disappointing part was there was a lost opportunity for a pretty compelling story. [Warning: SPOILERS! Although 1) Really, is the plot the main draw for this movie? And 2) If you haven’t seen the movie by now, you probably don’t care.] In the movie, Jeff Bridges’s alter ego in the computer world, Clu, has killed off Tron and is trying to take over the world or something, I don’t really know. Anyway, it turns out that Tron wasn’t actually killed; he was just reprogrammed to work for Clu as his awesome henchman. Now, which is a cooler premise? Jeff Bridges’s son accidentally getting sucked into the computer (Garrett Hedlund’s eyes are too close together) and having a boring meet up with his dad? Or — Tron, having qualms about Clu’s megalomaniac scheme, overcomes his reprogramming to save the day??? They even have Tron remembering who he is at the end, so that storyline is sort of crammed in there at the last minute. Last I checked the movies are called “Tron,” not “Clu” or “Kevin Flynn.” Plus, the movie has this whole storyline about computer programs that are creating themselves, so that totally fits in with my idea. Also, Bruce Boxleitner classes up everything he is in. Have you seen the classics “Bone Eater” or “Snakehead Terror”? Lest you think I’m irrationally biased, Entertainment Weekly agrees with me that the movies need more Boxleitner. They don’t even need to CGI him, just have Tron wear a helmet the whole time and have him do the voice.* I’m optimistic about the next movie because [MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!] Both Jeff Bridges’s characters are killed at the end of Legacy so that leaves the door wide open for another cinema and television legend to step up to the plate.

Sliver Fox!

*Those sexy tones will get the ladies in those seats. Seriously, I’m moving to Illinois to meet someone who sounds exactly like B.B. Whatever, that’s not being crazy, that’s recognizing a beautiful voice.

I have only come up with a Top 6, because let’s be honest, I watch a lot of crap.

1. The Vampire Diaries
If a Top 10 television show list does not include TVD, I seriously question its validity. Yes, it is a genre teen show (although none of the actors are teens and none of the characters especially act like they are in high school), but in my opinion (duh), it is the best paced, best written, best acted shows on television right now. Unlike a lot of shows with many characters, I am invested in everyone’s storylines (ok, except for Jenna, but whatever, she’s barely in it). Plus, it does not hurt a show that every single one of the actors are super hot. I was worried that there was no way the second season could match the awesomeness of the first season, but man, has it. Do yourself a favor and if you haven’t already, rent the first season and watch it. The first episode is a little Twilighty, but get past it and I promise you won’t regret it. I will accept thanks in the form of gift cards or undying devotion.

2. Fringe
The first season of Fringe started off a little too case-of-the week for me. It was kind of like the X-files but with a snoozier female lead. I do not think that now, at all. Like the Vampire Diaries, every character is great. I would totally enjoy an episode about just Astrid or about the Other Side’s Fringe team.

3. Community
I recently forced my entire family to watch a mini marathon of Community and although my dad initially said he “didn’t get it,” I think I won them over. I talked about this show in a past blog about sitcoms, and I still think it’s great. You need to watch the paintball episode (Modern Warfare) and then tell me that it isn’t one of the best shows on right now. I wouldn’t believe you if you said it wasn’t anyway.

4. Raising Hope
My sister got me into this show. I had heard it was funny but eh, it was about a young guy raising a baby which didn’t sound so great. My bad, because it is great. It is super funny and super sweet. I also get a kick out of watching Garret Dillahunt being funny because I associate him with playing a terminator on the Sarah Conner Chronicles.

5. Lost
Maybe this is a little controversial because the finale got a lot of backlash. I didn’t mind the sideways world or that they didn’t answer any questions. First of all, from watching Alias and X-files, I know that answers are usually let downs. Second, one of the best qualities of Lost was that it was mysterious, so I don’t mind that it still is mysterious. It was a little stupid that the sideways world was limbo or whatever (especially since an early theory was that the island was limbo), but it gave all the characters emotional closure, so I liked it. Well, except for Sayid and Shannon. Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to be with Nadia? Whatever…

6. Adventure Time with Finn and Jake
I get the sinking suspicion this is kind of a trendy show and I don’t want to be associated with the rest of the audience. Unfortunately, I can’t help but love it. I am not exactly sure what the target demographic is supposed to be. Kids? Sometimes I’m not sure it is super appropriate for children, but maybe they are a lot more savvy than I was at that age. Anyway, this is an animated show on Cartoon Network and it’s a zillion times cuter and hillariouser (it’s a word now) than stupid Spongebob Sqarepants, or any other cartoon on right now.  

*Not highly qualified. Unless you count a future PharmD, and I do.**

** No, I don’t.

Besides apparently time travel, which I really don’t spend that much time thinking about, despite the percentage by which it dominates my blog, the two topics that you can get me talking about on-and-on-and-on about, to the torment of my friends and family, are the fantasy series Wheel of Time* (mention it at your own risk) and television. Because it is the end of the year, magazines, websites and other things of that ilk are making up their “Best of 2010” lists. I will hold off on my “Best Movies” list for the MAFMSAS and my music tastes are not very discriminating, so I will just talk about my favorite television shows this year. 

On most of the lists I’ve read, I keep seeing Mad Men, Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad. I haven’t seen 2 out of 3 of those. Whenever a show gets the whiff of being prestigious, I do not want to watch it. It has got to have some kind of sci-fi bent for me to tune in after that. Sometimes I get in at the ground floor and I will end up watching them, but normally, no dice. I have the same bias against movies and to a lesser extent, toward books. Mostly, I do not want to be depressed and maybe this is not true, but it seems like anytime a movie or television show  is deemed “good” (said in a pretentious way), it is hella depressing.  I realize I’m maybe being retarded, but there it is. So you can probably guess I’ve only seen Walking Dead out of those three shows. My verdict? It is depressing and boring. I haven’t seen the finale yet, and I’ve heard it was good, and I know it sounds ridiculous to say a hyper-violent show about zombies is boring, but I think it is.

Another show I keep seeing on lists is Glee. I watch Glee. I like Glee. Is it one of the best shows of the year? I am not sure about that. If I was to be honest, if you take out all the music numbers, which granted, are integral to the show, it would be a pretty dumb show. To me, to be one of the best shows, you would have to actually miss the show once it goes off air and I can’t say I am really missing Glee. Vampire Diaries? For sure. I am going through withdrawals. Fringe? Yep. Glee? Not so much.

The last show I consistently see on Best Of Lists is Terriers. I really wanted to watch Terriers because it stars Donal Logue, who I love. But let’s face it, he is a showkiller. Knights of Prosperity? Killed. Which, by the way, did anyone but me think that show was funny? Life? Killed. That might’ve been the writer’s strike’s fault, but that was really good show and no one watched it and I blame showkiller Donal Logue. I guess Grounded for life lasted a few years, so maybe he’s just unlucky. Anyway, I sensed the imminent cancellation of Terriers and was not disappointed.

So what was the point of all of this…I guess, television critics don’t know what’s what. Or maybe, I have bad taste in television. In any case, coming up soon I will make my own Best Television of 2010 list. You can agree or disagree with my picks, but be assured, I am right and you are wrong.

*I am definitely a nerd/geek/whatever you want to call me, but I’m not really a hardcore fantasy nerd. I’ve only played a super short D&D game once, and found it to be boring. Besides WoT, I’ve never read any other epic fantasy series, not even Lord of the Rings. I like Harry Potter and things like that, but I think people know what I mean: books that need maps and have kingdoms and whatnot. [Side note: Not to be sexist, and I’m sure some girls enjoy D&D, but I sort of think it is a boy thing. You spend a zillion hours doing repetitive tasks for the chance to collect imaginary loot and imaginary skills, you have to memorize manuals which have you doing complicated arithmetic, and most of the game’s success relies on how well you roll a gazillion dice…I’m sorry, it’s boring. You spend the majority of time in World of Warcraft traveling on your gryphon or whatever, but at least there are no dice. Also, I think WoW is boring, too.] Wow, I just realized I had a tangent to my tangent, I know this is what having a conversation with me is like, too; sorry peeps.

Two of my favorite shows, Vampire Diaries and Fringe, have actors playing multiple characters. On Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev plays both the main character Elena, and her ancestor/badass vampire Katherine. (There is a reason they look the same, which I won’t get into.) On Fringe, pretty much the whole cast play their normal character and then their same character on “the other side,” a parallel dimension. It makes me nervous to see one person playing two versions of themselves but these actors are really knocking it out of the park! Nina Dobrev is so good that I’ve found myself thinking “Wow, Katherine is pretty good at mimicking Elena.” Yeah, duh she’s good at acting like herself. Most of the characters, although looking exactly like each other, have very different personalities (or in the case of Fringe, sometimes the exact same personality), which is why I am even more impressed by Anna Torv, on Fringe. Her character Olivia, and the other side version (I’ve seen two nicknames: Bolivia, or my fave, Fauxlivia) are basically the same person, but because of small differences in their lives, have slightly different personalities. The show has done a really good job of separating the two characters but showing that they are basically the same person. So anyway, well done shows!

Speaking about looking alike (I sort of was)…The show “Undercovers” has been cancelled. I can’t say I’m either surprised or upset. The leads were really pretty, but dull. The sidekick character, whether the fault of the writers or the actor, was super annoying. And, for being about spies, the storylines weren’t very interesting. The only thing going for it was the character of Leo, played by Carter MacIntyre, who deserves a new show stat. Good news everybody! I have found a job for him. I noticed that he looks a lot like Matthew Davis (the ex boyfriend in Legally Blond) and he should totally play Alaric’s brother on Vampire Diaries! Am I crazy, or do they look a lot alike?